Roadway safety trap

ABSTRACT

A travel-resisting device mounted in an exit ramp of a throughway, expressway or other road, and which is designed to prevent automobiles to enter and move in wrong direction lanes; the device consisting of two or three separate units each of which includes a downwardly tiltable platform so that when rode across in a wrong direction will cause the dropped wheels to abut hard against a fixed ledge so to resist and hold back further forward travel, the device also activating signal devices such as lights or bells to alert and warn other motorists and alert the careless drivers, and a last of the units having a toothed or sharp knife-like edge on the ledge so to puncture the tires as a final step to stop the vehicle and prevent a serious accident on the high speed right-of-way.

United States Patent [1 1 Mintz Sept. 24, 1974 ROADWAY SAFETY TRAP [76] Inventor: Leonard H. Mintz, 24340 Miles Rd.,

Cleveland, Ohio 44128 22 Filed: Mar. 23, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 344,152

[52] US. Cl. 340/39 [51] Int. Cl G08g 1/02 [58] Field of Search 340/31 R. 39; 49/49 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,762,145 9/1956 Rupe 49/49 2,917,283 12/1959 Sumners 49/49 3,266,013 8/1966 Schmidt. 340/31 R 3,325,782 6/1967 Der.' 340/31 R 3,389,677 6/1968 Dunne v v. 340/31 R 3,748,782 7/1973 Reynolds 49/49 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 296,735 9/1928 Great Britain 340/39 563,104 3/1937 Germany 340/39 Primary Examiner-Kathleen H. Claffy Assistant Examiner-Randall P. Myers [57] ABSTRACT A travel-resisting device mounted in an exit ramp of a throughway. expressway or other road, and which is designed to prevent automobiles to enter and move in wrong direction lanes; the device consisting of two or three separate units each of which includes a downwardly tiltable platform so that when rode across in a wrong direction will cause the dropped wheels to abut hard against a fixed ledge so to resist and hold back further forward travel, the device also activating signal devices such as lights or bells to alert and warn other motorists and alert the careless drivers, and a last of the units having a toothed or sharp knife-like edge on the ledge so to puncture the tires as a final step to stop the vehicle and prevent a serious accident on the high speed right-of-way.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures ROADWAY SAFETY TRAP This invention relates generally to unidirectional traf fic controls.

It is well known that upon occasion a careless driver enters a high speed expressway on an exit ramp so that he is traveling in a wrong direction. This is extremely serious as there is a danger of a head-on collision with a high speed moving car or truck on the right-of-way.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a roadway safety trap that is installed in an exit ramp of a high speed roadway, the trap holding back a vehicle to enter traffic lanes in a wrong direction.

Another object is to provide a roadway safety trap which when being encountered by a wrong entering vehicle, additionally activates signal devices such as lights or a bell to warn other motorists, and alert careless drivers. I

Still another object is to provide a roadway safety trap which may comprise several separate units along the ramp and wherein an insistent wrong moving motorist is finally stopped by a last of the units puncturing his vehicle tires so to arrest further travel.

Other objects are to provide a roadway safety trap which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, easy to use, and efficient in operation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of the following specification and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the reference numeral represents a roadway safety trap according to the present invention, wherein there may be several individual units 11 installed along an exit ramp 12 of a high speed highway.

The unit 11 includes a box-like frame 13 installed in concrete 14, the frame including a perforated grate 15 on its bottom so to permit rain water to flow into a sewer inlet 16 through the bottom of the concrete. Within the frame there is a stationary fulcrum 17 that supports a pivotable bar 18 about pivot pin 19. One end of bar rests on compression coil spring 20. A depressor 21 rests on this end of the bar and protrudes at its upper end above a roadway ramp surface 22.

A platform 23 pivotable at one end about a pin 24 supported in stationary bracket 25 closes the top of the frame, and the top surface thereof is flush at one end with the road surface and at its other end flush with the top of the depressor 21. The center of the platform is urged pivotally upward by a depressible compression coil spring 26 fitted around a pin 27, the spring bearing upon a stanchion 28.

Another stationary fulcrum 29 supports a pin 30 on which a tripping support 31 is pivotable. The support 31 has a pair of sideward jaws 32 and 33 between which an opposite end of bar 18 is slidably supported. The

support 31 has an integral side arm 34 to which one end of a tension spring 35 is attached and which urges the tripping support to normally be pivoted underneath the opposite end of the platform so to support a vehicle travel thereacross in a correct direction. An electrical breaker switch 36 is mounted on a side of the tripping support.

In use, when an automobile travels in a proper direction (indicated by solid arrow 37), the wheels ride across the platform 23 which is stationary during this travel. By the time the wheel travels over the depressor 21 that activates the mechanism, the wheel is no longer on the platform, so the ride is smooth.

However, when a vehicle travels in a wrong direction (indicated by dotted arrow 38), the wheel rides first on the depressor causing it to depress the end of bar 18 against spring 20, the bar pivoting around pin 19 to cause the other end of the bar to move upward, thus causing the tripping support to pivot away from under the platform to the position shown by the dotted lines. Thus, when the wheels leave the depressor and start to travel on the platform, the weight of the vehicle causes the platform to pivot downward to the position shown by the dotted lines, thus causing the traveling wheels to abut hard against an edge 39 of a stationary ledge 40, thus sufficiently jolting the vehicle to get the motorists attention that something is not right to attempt travel across the units. The downwardly pivoted platform contacts the switch 36 which thus activates signals such as lights and bells so to warn other nearby motorists and alert careless drivers. It is suggested that two or three units 11 be installed along an exit ramp.

I claim:

1. In a roadway safety trap the combination of several separate units installed within an exit ramp of a roadway so to deter entry by a vehicle and resultant travel in a wrong direction on the roadway, each one of said units including a platform which is pivotable about its one end, said one end being traversed first by vehicle' travelling in the wrong direction, the other end being supported upon a pivotable tripping support which supports said platform flush with a surface of said ramp, a depressor at said one end of said unit being activated by the weight of a vehicle wheel traveling thereupon, said depressor activating a mechanismv to cause said tripping support to'pivot away from under said platform so to cause said platform to pivot downward by a weight of said vehicle, so the wheels of said vehicle abut against an edge of a ledge of said unit, an electric switch in said unit being contacted by said platform when depressed, thus closing circuits to warning devices for other motorists, and alert careless wrong-way drivers, and a last of said units having a stationary toothed or knife edge that defines one side of an opening of a box-like frame into which said platform other end is downwardly pivotable so to finally stop said vehicle by puncturing its tires in case an insistent wrong moving driver refuses to be halted by the other said units. 

1. In a roadway safety trap the combination of several separate units installed within an exit ramp of a roadway so to deter entry by a vehicle and resultant travel in a wrong direction on the roadway, each one of said units including a platform which is pivotable about its one end, said one end being traversed first by vehicle travelling in the wrong direction, the other end being supported upon a pivotable tripping support which supports said platform flush with a surface of said ramp, a depressor at said one end of said unit being activated by the weight of a vehicle wheel traveling thereupon, said depressor activating a mechanism to cause said tripping support to pivot away from under said platform so to cause said platform to pivot downward by a weight of said vehicle, so the wheels of said vehicle abut against an edge of a ledge of said unit, an electric switch in said unit being contacted by said platform when depressed, thus closing circuits to warning devices for other motorists, and alert careless wrong-way drivers, and a last of said units having a stationary toothed or knife edge that defines one side of an opening of a box-like frame into which said platform other end is downwardly pivotable so to finally stop said vehicle by puncturing its tires in case an insistent wrong moving driver refuses to be halted by the other said units. 